u/paperplateseabass

From the mouth of the man, the myth, the legend himself, JoeZ. thanks dude, all the best! these are some quotes from his awesome blog post in S1

Season 3:

• Full on permanent PvE mode
• … we’re working on improving our onboarding experience to make it less overwhelming for new players.
• … we’ll be making changes to the contract system to improve how you interact with Priority and other contracts.
• … we're planning to introduce a lot (and I mean a lot) of revisions to our early experience, including:
  • big updates to Perimeter
  • a new Runner shell
  • additional (no spoilers) content.

Season 3 and Beyond:

• A new zone that leans into more alien elements and mind warping debuffs.
• New enemies from Tau Ceti and beyond, big and small alike.
• New weapons that fill out the battery side of the arsenal.
• New ways to exfil that create interesting tradeoffs between how much loot you carry versus how safe they are.
• [we’ll be] testing the waters around other mechanics (such as perhaps a more purely PVP-focused mode)

Season 4:

• …we're focusing on building more depth into the existing extraction loop.

Season 5:

• ...we're looking at bringing the whole ecosystem of (PV(P)VE) play together and evolving our weird sci-fi world in new ways.

Experimental modes and a handful of “End Of Season” Events have gone by, some amazing, some less-so. But for the most part these have been either neutral or pretty damn good (ignoring the Upper Complex farm)

On the story side of the coin, it's been 6 months and so far we have gotten the following main plot points that have ‘impacted’ the world (impacted is being used very generously here):

• We found out there was a contagion on Tau Ceti (discovered in alpha)
• Anomaly is a living thing
• Durandal still on the Marathon
• Spht still on the Marathon
• The UESC have ramped up their defenses against the Runners

This is all stuff that A) we could almost confirm would be the case pre-launch, thanks to the Alpha and B) didn’t really push the needle in terms of developing any already existing narrative implications.

I know a lot of dev time probably goes into these modes and experimental queues… and I appreciate that effort. However, if the main game itself isn't going to provide any mechanical narrative features (outside of a few prio contracts), at least recognize that these 2-3 week events and experiments are the perfect opportunity to harbor some short bursts of meaningful story progression in a dynamic, intense PvPvE environment.

There are so many opportunities there that EVERY TYPE OF MARATHON PLAYER can enjoy and foster a diverse community of player types. To me, as a normal non-game dev dude, it's a clear and easy win that for some reason is going completely underutilized.

edit:
Just to be clear. If you think I am on either side of the PvP vs PvE discussion, you are wrong. I think both PvP and PvE have a place within this game, even if it skews more to PvP. The PvP in Marathon is one of its biggest selling points, and has been since they started their Launch Rollout. My point with this post is to say that alongside the PvP marketing, we got a LOT of narrative seeds that have not been followed up on at ALL within the game's systems.

The fact that they marketed it in that way is a shame considering that Marathon has a unique opportunity to find an amazing ratio of player-driven PvP-focused storytelling, while still delivering meaningful environment exploration, build-in "rabbit hole" mechanics, and a way to experience a "live" story over the course of a Season. And for the most part, they have failed at doing the second part of that so far.

original post:

Looking back at the marketing material ALL the way when the game was first announced in 2023 up until the launch roll out, there was a clear shift in the development setup. But one element remained…. The mystery behind the colony’s demise and the disappearance of its inhabitants.

The mystery behind Tau Ceti was used again and again as a major marketing device throughout pre-launch. Cinematics, audio logs, devs teasing on social media, but really how much of that have we gotten since Season 1 started? Just some lore entries with great VA work, most of which was already present in the Alpha anyways.

The fact that this game has devolved into the PvP sweat fest that it is right now is simply because there is no other reason to play the game other than to PvP, which isnt a problem in itself, but it's kinda sad considering how much Bungie has to work with when it comes to the Marathon IP.

Bungie, I would love some more mysteries, some rabbit holes to go down, some more unique interactions with the maps, simply more stuff to explore.

I've heard a lot about how (and share the opinion that) Marathon tends to play very differently than a lot of the popular XTRs like Tarkov and ABI, who incorporate a lot of slow, immersive map traversal. While also being more harcore than them in a lot of ways, using map elements and sound to encourage constant PvP.

However, I’ve only really watched other people play Tarkov, Forever Winter, Arc. So what do you guys think that other XTRS do that Marathon should adopt?

edit: is XTR really not what yall call Extraction Shooters? my bad, i'll note that for next time

Back when this game was first announced, there were so many fans and creators that came together to create communities that fostered genuine excitement around the game and the world of Marathon.

Creators like Jake The Alright, HiddenXperia, MrRoflWaffles, Bonn, etc encouraged the types of communities I genuinely enjoyed being a part of. Communities that yearned for the opportunity to participate in the lore, participate in the puzzles, participate in the art-style, and above all else, participate in the WORLD of Marathon.

When the game’s original concept became too ambitious, Bungie shifted to a tight, snappy competitive game. Unfortunately, to facilitate this shift these “lore/puzzle” guys were almost completely put to the wayside.

Don’t get me wrong, the PvP in Marathon is thrilling, tactical, and FUN. I love watching guys like Staycation, Bray, and Marshyy to get my Marathon fix when I’m at work, but all of the other guys mention have almost completely stopped covering the game outside of an occasional podcast episode. This isn’t a PvP vs PvE conversation, as from what I understand, HiddenXperia for example, is an avid XTR fan, being a huge Tarkov player. 

I think PvP-focused PvPvE was the right decision for many reason I won’t get into right now. I just hope that the people in the communities this game fostered pre-launch get to experience what they were so excited and dedicated to following for so long, even with the needed shift to competitive PvPvE.

Seeing as there are some rumors stirring around what we might and might NOT be getting in S3, what would you guys like to see in the game?

Ofc bug fixes, QoL, and performance is good, but I’m moreso asking about new content. Feel free to post below.

I personally just need to see more of an effort to make the game more immersive and expansive. Map changes won’t happen overnight, but even little things like the upgraded Main Menu from S1 to S2 added a whole lot to the immersive vibe of the game.

pretty much the title. so much juice from that latest survey. customization modularity? YES PLS. and some of those skins look so DOPE. TAKE MY MONEY.

but i just want them to keep the integrity of the art style strong. if this game begins to depart from that, then i might start to lose interest in buying cosmetics. it ruins the immersion

The odd priority contract that spawns scanner drones, studying the anomaly.

Passing by a hallway in South Relay and hearing a previously unheard terminal chime, calling you towards it before playing a ominous voiceline.

Walking around the map and discovering the smoke plume of a random crash site spawn over the horizon.

A hacked lockdown spawning on Outpost while Gantry monologues on the PA system.

Getting a green essence on your HUD when someone begins the Compiler run process on Cryo.

All of these things speak to that “Bungie juice” that Marathon can offer. In my opinion, these are the things that: make this world feel alive, make us as players feel like we exist as Runners in this world, and also don’t appear often enough.

I’m not exactly sure there’s a specific term for this type of experience, but keep pushing these ideas Bungie. Continue to integrate them more consistently into our game-to-game loop, make them have more mechanical importance, let us shape the environment with map interactions. These things are why I love running Marathon.

edit: to be clear I say this out of love for the game. I have never played a game as much as I have this one in my adult life. im just coming with some things that i personally would like to see in the game, not what i think will make it succeed or whatever. Love you Runnahs

Outside of a handful of Prio Contracts, in little to none of my 400hrs playing Marathon did I feel like I was “exploring a lost colony” (emphasis on EXPLORING)

There are too many reasons to list as to why this game doesn’t satisfy the “immersive player-driven story” experience that was sold to us in 2023. But I’ll say this, I think this world, this art style, this concept of a game deserves way more than just being a tight, competitive FPS. Now that we’ve gotten a quality foundation, it's time to build on top of that.

I want more focus on exploring the environments, watching my crew’s back while we dig into each POI, looking for answers to the questions the story poses IN GAME (not in an external terminal or youtube video).

I want maps that take days to weeks to explore inside and out, not a couple of matches.

I want the flow of the match to be dictated by meaningful missions/objectives, not “where can we find the most action?”

I want to feel like I am the Runner, not that I am inhabiting a Runner. Despite what the lore explanations try to say.

I know not everyone will resonate with my desires, as it is personal taste. But I think what we have now is a fantastic game with great PvPvE balance, gun-play, combat interplay, world-building, etc and I just feel like it can and SHOULD become so much more.

[supprimé]

Just some head canon, but since it seems Marathon has been flooded with more person-power from Bungie, I’d be curious to see how they scale it up.

One idea I’d love to see would be a CoD Zombies Easter egg-inspired horde mode that has a bunch of puzzles kind of like Upper Complex/Outpost/Cryo. It could even have a Saw-like experience led by Durandal that helps progress story revelations.

Jumping between a PvE puzzle horde-mode and the PvP extraction would be such a great balance and I think it fits perfectly into this game’s vibe. (pls ignore the obv loot economy issues this would bring up lol i am not a game dev)

TLDR: Us Marathon fans gotta forgive and/or ignore Destiny fans’ anger, despite not agreeing with how they are reacting to current events.

And for you Destiny fans, nothing is guaranteed with Destiny IP, but one thing is certain: if Marathon & Bungie fail… you will never get a D3.

post:

For some reason, there are people out there that want the Marathon Community and the Destiny Community to be at war, in hopes that they get an unrealistic outcome.

As Marathon fans, we ABSOLUTELY need to be supporting our Destiny family in this time of grief. They were definitely done wrong, and unfortunately the game we enjoy is the art being targeted and attacked, instead of the poor choices of higher ups within Bungie.

Whether we like it or not, we have to either forgive or ignore these attacks, as adding fuel to the flame will do nothing but continue to create wins in the war of “Marathon needs to burn”.

On that note, as a Marathon fan and a former big-time Destiny 1 player, I hope Destiny fans get the game they want, Destiny or not. Everyone deserves to have “their main game”

not exactly Marathon related, but as someone who didnt put a bunch of time into Destiny, I hope D3 comes out.

Been touched by how emotional people are getting over D2 ending. This is why we love games.

I know it just comes down to decisions from rich dudes in suits, and maybe I’ve been quite disappointed by the Destiny communities attacks on Marathon. But I hope ya’ll get it. Everyone deserves to play games they love.

What's so soul-crushing is the amount of times I have been met with “I thought that game was dead?” when talking about Marathon with my IRLs

It's not their fault, why would they give a dead game a chance, even if they think they might enjoy it?

Hundreds, even thousands of people have constructed a hate campaign against this game that has no merit beyond playercounts. and imo, the main reason why the game wasn’t a hit at launch is because of the rhetoric around the game spread by a mix of right-wing grifters and (justifiably) jaded ex-destiny/halo players.

This game had and HAS so much going for it. First non-Destiny Bungie title in 12 years, reviving a long dormant IP with a new, world-class art-style; all while returning to their PvP roots. If you put that framing in a vacuum, I think it would get lots of people very, very excited. And that’s the thing, because it DID.

The game is good. The game is fun. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it had a rough period of development, and it's definitely not perfect. But I think if people didn’t spread so much unwarranted hate towards Bungie and Marathon, we’d be looking at a completely different landscape. 

I mean, some of the things i’ve seen people say about this game… wow…  what a waste of time and brain power, if people were this passionate about actually productive hobbies, the world would be a much better place and there’s a big chance they’d be happier in life

edit: for people citing the server slam numbers. how many of those people do you genuinely think gave the game a good 10+ hours vs how many people quit after their first match? we’ll never know, but im inclined to believe most people didnt make it past the (unfortunate) barrier of entry that helps this game be WAY more enjoyable.

So many changes to even address in a single post, but besides the high purple/gold RNG consistency, I think all of the map/event changes need to carry over into S2.

The maps feel so much more alive than they did at launch, there's much to do. Just shows me how much potential this game has to grow beyond its already really deep foundation.

Dragons (rocket drones), crash sites, alternating Boss spawns, and more..... I'm having so much fun with it Bungie. also Joe Ziegler I know you are reading this, just do it. Thank you